MGIS Candidate:
Advisor:
Collin Strine-Zuroski
Dr. Jay Parrish
Clopper Lake
 Located in Seneca Creek State Park in Montgomery
County, MD.
 Dam built in 1975.
 Lake Created for Recreation and Flood Control.
 86.70 Acres.
Clopper Lake: Then and Now
1974
2010
*Photos Courtesy of Gaithersburg, Then and Now: http://www.gaithersburghistory.com. Pictures are reproduced here for educational purposes only.
Outline:
 Goals
 Mapping Sediment Deposits
 Bathymetric Mapping
 Sub-Bottom Profiling
 Data Analysis
 Sediment Calculations
 Mapping Subaqueous Soil
 Landform Identification
 Boolean Overlay
 Additional Analysis
 Timeline
Goals:
 Map the geographic distribution of sediment deposits
that have accumulated in the lake.
 Identify the location of potential subaqueous soils
capable of supporting plant life.
Mapping Sediment Deposits:
Mapping Sediment Deposits:
Creating Bathymetric Contours:
 Hydrolite-TM Single Beam,
Sonar Transducer
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figures 2 and 3 acquired from http://www.globalspec.com/reference/66292/203279/10-10-gps-for-seafloor-mapping and
http://www.seafloorsystems.com/hydrolite_tm.html respectively, and have been reproduced here for educational purposes only.
Choosing a Survey Vessel:
Choosing a Survey Vessel:
Bathymetric Data
 39,013 Data Points
 Transducer Draft (0.85 feet) added to all raw depth
soundings.
Calculations




63,819,030.011 Cubic Feet of Water
1,465.08 Acre Feet of Water
Mean Depth=15.97 Feet
Deepest Point= 44.92 feet
Historic Bathymetric Contours
Historic Bathymetric Contours
Sediment Calculations:
Sub-Bottom Profiling
 Method for imaging marine sediment layers.
 Active acoustic sensor (10Khz).
 A portion of the induced acoustic signal penetrates the
lake bottom and a small portion is reflected back each
time it reaches the boundary of two layers with
different acoustic impedance.
Field Work
Seamless Elevation Model
Seamless Elevation Model
Subaqueous Soils (SAS)
 Soils that form in shallow water environments and are




capable of supporting plant life.
Usually found in water less that 2.5meters (8.20 feet)
deep**.
Found in both fresh and saltwater environments.
Relatively new field of Pedology (soil science).
Important distinction between subaqueous and
submerged soils.
Surrounding Area Soil Types
Potential Additional Analysis:
 Side Scan Sonar
 Image Existing Plant
Life in lake.
 Determine if areas with
depths greater than 2.5
meters are currently
supporting plant life.
Images Courtesy of: http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3143150/LOWRANCE_SIDE_IMAGING_ANNOUNCE and are
reproduced here for educational purposes only.
Timeline:
4-6 Weeks
 Continue to process data and identify the distribution
of Subaqueous soils in the lake.
 Complete side-scan survey to produce a more
comprehensive map of existing aquatic plants.
2-4 Weeks
 Refine report and produce final presentation.
Sept/Oct
 Final Presentation
Special Thanks To:
 Exploration Instruments
 Seafloor Systems, Inc.
 Hypack, Inc.
 URS Corporation
 Dr. Jay Parrish
 Dr. Patrick Drohan
References:
 Bradley, M.P. and M.H. Stolt. (2002). “Evaluating methods to create a base map for a
subaqueous soil Inventory”. Soil Sci., 167: 222-228.
 Rabenhorst, Martin C. "Case Study: Soil Mapping in Chincoteague Bay Maryland." N.p.,
n.d. Web. 12 June
2012<http://nesoil.com/sas/16_Rabenhorst_Soil_Mapping_Chincoteague_Bay_MD.pdf>.
 Rubinstein, Michael I. "LIDAR FOR SUBAQUEOUS AND TERRESTRIAL SOIL
LANDSCAPE." University of Maryland, n.d. Web. 5 June 2012
 Turenne, Jim. "Subaqueous and Submerged Soil Information Sheet." Subaqueous and
Submerged Soil Information Sheet. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 May 2012.
<http://nesoil.com/sas/sasinfo.htm>.
 USDA-FSA-APFO Aerial Photography Field Office (2010). NAIP09 - National
Agricultural Imagery Program 2009 1 meter Nat Color. Salt Lake City, Utah. URL:
<http://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/gis/data/>
 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (2006). Digital
General Soil Map of U.S. Tabular digital data and vector digital data. Fort Worth, Texas.
URL:<http://SoilDataMart.nrcs.usda.gov/>
Questions?
Contact Information:
Collin Strine-Zuroski
cps170@psu.edu
Collin.strine.zuroski@gmail.com
(412) 335-0294